Distance
by ClosetFMAfan
Summary: They had always been working on closing the distance between them.


_674 Kilometers, 419 Miles_

Mei Chang was born on the same day that Alphonse Elric started to wonder if Daddy was ever coming home. March 23, 1903 Trisha had mentioned something about when their father came back, and Ed had frowned before straightening and asking whether he really was ever going to come home. Their mother had blinked, shocked at the young boy's outburst, then was unable to stop herself from glancing out the window before forcing a smile and telling the boys that of course their father was going to be coming home, he was just on a very long trip and it would take him a while before he came home.

Al had always accepted those answers from his mother, but something about this time was different. It was the first time the doubt really got placed in his heart. Mother said that he hadn't come home yet because he was on a very long trip, but where would he go that would take six months to get there and back? And why hadn't he called them or sent them a letter or anything?

Then his mom had laughed and Al dismissed the fear from his mind. What about a place like Xing? That was really really far away, that's what they had learned in school. Maybe Dad was going to Xing and he was going to bring back some sort of gift for them and he didn't want to call them so that it would be a surprise.

He wondered was Xing was like.

Mei Chang simply cried.

* * *

 _261 Kilometers, 162 Miles_

Neither of them recognized the fact that they were, for the first time in their lives, in the same country when it first happened. Both of them were occupied with other thoughts, Mei with near starvation and Al with keeping his brother from being murdered by an enraged automail mechanic. However, the Philosopher's Stone was never far from either of their minds.

* * *

 _5.5 meters, 18 feet_

"Are you alright, Mister Scar?"

He was twitching on the ground in front of her as she crouched protectively at the Ishvalan's side. He was glad he didn't have to feel, because he knew that if he had a real body, that kick would have left him with some incredible bruises for the next few weeks. As it was he managed to get on his feet as the girl (he was amazed that such a kick had come from such a small girl) started yelling at them for trying to attack the man who had saved her life.

No, the servant of the man who saved her life. That didn't make any sense though, Scar wasn't anyone servant, and anyone he'd work for wouldn't be interested in saving her life except for a reason.

Ed started screaming at her and the MPs began to close in around all four of them. Al wanted to say something, some kind of warning, especially as the girl pulled out some knives from her robes, but she threw the knives too fast – only they didn't hit anyone. They hit the trains behind them on either side and then she was drawing something in the sand around them and

BOOM.

"What the hell was that alchemy?" Ed yelled from somewhere in the smoke surrounding them. Al couldn't see anything, he couldn't find Ed and he couldn't see Scar or the little girl, which was probably exactly what she was going for. But the better question was how she had done it. She hadn't…

"She transmuted from a distance?!"

He wanted to figure out what she had done and how, but by the time the smoke cleared, it was obvious that the girl was gone.

* * *

 _3 meters, 10 feet_

"Are you alright?" Mei was able to keep her head up long enough to see the suit of armor a short ways away from her. He must have kicked the… thing out of the way. It was going to eat her _. Eat her_. Against her will, she felt her arms collapsing beneath her at the thought.

She wanted to curl up in a little ball. She wanted to be back home. She wanted to be safe. She wanted to be away from all of this.

He only came closer.

* * *

 _1 meters, 3 feet_

"Brother! Run!" she heard Al scream. "Brother!" Now Ed was pulling at his arm, but even from the distance, Mei could tell it was painful and he was losing too much blood trying.

"Stop!" Al screamed even louder as Father moved closer. He stretched until his chest cavity started to break and crumble again. "Damn it!"

"Al!" she screamed as he fell over. This was not good. Even so, Al lifted himself up on his arms.

"Stop! Stop! Let brother… let brother..." he couldn't even get the words out. Then suddenly he stopped, as if struck. He seemed to take a breath, though Mei knew he didn't and couldn't take in air.

"Mei, I need a favor," he said in a completely calm voice. It scared her more than the screaming.

"Brother sacrificed his right arm to bring my soul back. So it follows that the reverse should be possible."

Mei's eyes grew wide as she realized exactly what he was proposing. He couldn't give up his soul. He couldn't! If he did, it was possible he would never come back.

"Alphonse…"

In the distance Father was stumbling even closer to Ed.

"All you have to do is clear a path for me." He turned his head so he was staring directly at her. "You can do that, right?"

Oh yes, she could do that. In fact it even made perfect sense. Since they didn't have a complicated circle and Ed was so far away he would need her alkahestric markers to guide the alchemy to Ed. Otherwise a disconnected arm might just show up. But he would still have to pay the price.

"But if you do that, Alphonse…"

"There's not time!" he said sharply, looking directly at her. "Please!" Then in a slightly softer voice, "You're the only one I can ask to do this."

She stared at him, her eyes growing big as the tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't let him do something like this— she shouldn't help himself effectively commit suicide. If she didn't though, she knew that not only would Ed die and Father win, but Al would have nothing to live for. His brother was his life. Not being her prince, not alchemy, but his brother. Ed had already saved his life and now he was trying to save him. Mei lowered her head in defeat.

"Stone," she heard Father shout as she quickly dropped the kunaia into the stone around Al. They had to be perfect for it to work. "Human, Give me," she took careful aim. "your energy!"

Hohenheim shouted his son's name, and that's when she let her knives fly.

The sound echoed, both Father and Ed stopped and looking at the knives. Father turned around to see the source of it. Ed saw them and his eyes wide. They only grew bigger when he saw his baby brother laid out in the middle of her improvised circle.

Al raised his arms to the sky.

"What do you think you're doing?" he whispered, but it carried. "No… Don't… Al!" How could she do this. The tears came fast and thick. She was helping him do this. He was going to die. Ed knew this, knew that she was the one that was helping, that she was the only one who could help him like this.

"Keep moving, Brother," Al whispered before clapping his hands together and placing them over his chest.

"STOP!" Ed screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

But then Al was gone, out of everyone's reach.

* * *

 _.3 meters, 1 foot_

After the obligatory hug, Mei stepped back from the newly instated Amestrian Ambassador so he could have some room. He was grinning at her, eyes bright. He looked so much better than the last time she had seen him. Not that she was only concerned with looks, no, just that she was happy he was so much healthier.

"Welcome to Xing," she said, returning his grin with one of her own. "I'm glad you're here. It will be nice not to have to wait weeks to get a response from you."

"Yeah. I've missed being able to talk to you like this, Mei."

Mei smiled, pushing a loose strand of hair behind an ear and stepping forward so that they were close enough no one else would be able to hear her.

"I've missed you too, Alphonse."

* * *

 _15 centimeters, 6 inches_

There was so much spinning and whirling that Mei lost track of any thought, focusing instead of moving the best she could and keeping breathing. She hadn't fought like this in years.

Then, a falter, a misstep, on his part or on hers she wasn't sure, and she was falling forward and she couldn't stop it.

Luckily, there was something soft to break her landing.

Namely, Al.

"I'm so sorry, Al," she said breathlessly. He was staring at her dazedly, and it took a few moments for his gaze to focus.

"Mei?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened…"

"No, I think it was my fault."

"I don't know."

It was then that she realized just how close they were. She flushed a bright pink and moved to scramble off him. But then he caught her wait, keeping her from moving further away.

"Wait."

* * *

 _2 centimeters, .8 inches_

"Mei… I love you"

* * *

 _Distance Closed_

His lips met hers.


End file.
